With 20 years of experience as a dancer, many in Malaysia know Maple to be a well-rounded performer. A dancer who indeed knows how to distinguish herself.
The judge of 8TV's sensational dance competition SHOWDOWN 2010, 2011, 2012 & 2013 and previously as judge of TV3's Gang Starz too, Maple's keeping busy with business, travels, wildlife & 1 serious obsession - pole-dancing & her very own Bobbi's Pole Studio in KL. Her personal journals here.

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Monday, July 23, 2007

Sit Boy, Sit!

Last weekend, I had flown to absurd peaks of joy and back. Volunteering at the animal training/show section is quite out-of-this-world.

T’was very nice to rekindle the friendship with those keepers again, after being absent for so long…. They’re forever welcoming, glad to have me and eager to show me their show animals and the advancements they made to better their ‘performers’’ well-being.

Mahat is the head trainer, Christopher the animal-hospital-attendant-turned-animal show-emcee & trainer, Hassan the commentator, VJ the keeper/assistant trainer plus other keepers are the few responsible for the shows that take place everyday at Zoo Negara.

Animal training must be the toughest job there is to exist. Because it takes a genius to teach another.

If you think controlling animal psyche is a piece of cake, sometimes you turn into the cake yourself. You require a lot of know-how, and common sense really, plus time of course. If patience is not your virtue, then I suggest you just settle for feeding the hippos.Frankly, I’m not a fan of animal shows neither can I remain unaffected watching an animal go through ‘training’ without going through hell. Ah, beating an animal is what I staunchly stand against…You see, strangely I can smack a child but animals, (dogs, mice, snakes you name it) they always get away with beating ME up.Every few minutes geram ni gream tu, how to train la!That said, I’m only qualified as a child trainer and I'm sure I'm a damn good one! Well, one less highly compassionate trainer in the world, this one better be loving, respectful and equipped with heaps of techniques so the animals don’t shed one fur, or else….

Mahat - his daily routine includes religiously preparing food to feed his 'performers'

Anyway, Mahat seems like a dedicated being, undoubtedly the patient kind, also geared with quite a bit of experience in transmuting a wild one . Chris and some of the others are his subordinates who are still trainer trainees. They’re doing a good job but I can only hope they treat these animals with humanity, reasonable and sufficient austerity and most importantly, respect.I think there ought to be a screen test for trainer-wanna-bes.

So I was told, when training mammals like primates, the commander (which is us) must appear dominant, or the beasts will never listen to your instructions. Especially so because they’re smart, thinking animals, the more stern you should portray.

Showering Manja the showgirl

Orang Utans apparently know/sense right away from the tone and sound of your voice and body language, if you’re no-nonsense. Yes, even apes and cockatoos have an attitude. If you’re not firm, you’ll get a gist of attitude, inobedience and sometimes rebellious attacks. One cuckatoo named Jonny just simply doesn’t take shit. It won’t ‘perform’ otherwise, not even after a bit of yelling for cackling a little too much. Hehe… I find that cute. Merajuk la pulak…That’s so human ain’t it?Well, a very recent research asserts that more than 60 animal species, from birds to squids to spiders, clearly show presence of what can only be called personality. This isn't merely an accident of nature but part of a complex evolutionary strategy.

Having said that, humans are therefore not the only thinking phylum here...The way the animals are train is similar to that disciplining a kid. You yell, order, command, deprive them of certain privileges or smack them if you must. And if he listens and behaves well, you give him what he deserves and more. Of course, it’s wrong to begin with, trying to instill discipline in wild animals and insisting they behave like we want it. But I reached a conviction in light of this; highly intelligent animals stuck in a cage where they don’t belong, for the rest of their lives. What can they do to keep sane? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. Even prisoners need curriculum. Maybe teaching them to do certain things and creating activities will help enrich their lives… put their brains to work.

Now sometimes violence could take place even when you prove dominance. Most animals respond to sounds (except snakes of course) therefore if you’re not its actual trainer or the commander, plus behaving foolishly like taking its food away or encroaching into its living space, then you will likely be attacked.Well, the people who work with animals, be it domesticated or wild, have had their share of bites and attacks. That’s inevitable. A good example is Chris’ recent incident with Manja the showgirl. She attacked him 15mins before showtime after Chris stopped her from eating the food that was laid on the table. So Manja bit him! And bit him pretty bad too – he lost a chunk of his inner thigh and all feeling and almost a finger too. He agrees it wasn't Manja's fault but rather his own lack of understanding in the animal's temperament and behaviourial traits.

Chris -stick to birds or be sorry

At least Zoo Negara's show isn't one that ridicules animals. Basically, it’s not a bloody circus where apes are dressed in tacky costumes and asked to shake their tush so you’d laugh. Here, the purpose of an act conveys a clear educational message, to both children and adult audience. Go watch it yourself.So you see, I was thrilled to bits this weekend. This is what I did :Helped a cuckatoo learn to pick up rubbish......did a revision with a sea lion named DomBu that whistle equals food (which will soon learn to fetch plastic bags from the show pool)...Fed a much bigger sea lion 17-year-old Bart a big bucket of fish and watched Katie the apprentice demonstrate her new tricks for me...Witnessed the back-stage scenes of luring civet cats to their show ground...And persuaded a Binturung to walk on my shoulder!I’m surely packed with a whole bag of new tricks myself!Rehearsals have never been more fun!

The Many Faces of Maple Loo

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The Many Faces of Maple Loo

My Blog List

The Many Faces of Maple Loo

The Daughter

The Asian Pole Summit 2008

Make one weekend the gateway to your most SEXY self, ladies!The first-ever Asian Pole Summitin Malaysia is happening on 6th & 7th Dec at The Hanging Garden (my new pole school!) which is located at Linda Jasmine Performing Arts Studio in Ampang Point.

A cluster of intensive workshops is designed to build you the the core and shape you from inside out! A line-up of professional pole and dance instructors, including world-famous pole fitness guru from UK, KT COATES will be in town to teach pole dance, women styling, special dance techniques, flexibility & core-strengthening & exotic dance as well. Absolute beginners are highly encouraged to join.

Workshop package includes a Pole-Licious Party at a plush hideaway venue!Don't miss out on this exciting weekend where all things EXOTIC conspire to titillate your senses....

If you sign with me before 31st Oct 2008, you'll enjoy an early bird special!

The Many Faces of Maple Loo

The Many Faces of Maple Loo

Maple's Blog Categories

Tamarind, Tioman, Turtles & TV3

It's about living life to the fullest, choosing to do and be everything your heart desires and juggling to find that balance in order to fulfill all of that, all at once. Life IS a dance. And my believe is, the way to dance it is LIVING IT RIGHT. Read, read, read! It's everything that goes through my head. Please, be my guest.

Zoolander

This is the story of my volunteering work at Zoo Negara, the remarkable experiences I've gained from having chimpanzees throwing feces at me to getting chased by king cobras, from treating injured flamingos to hatching crocodile eggs. How many have the privilege to get close enough to look into the kind eyes of a giraffe, close enough to feel the breath of a tiger's thunderous roar, cudddle & play with a baby orang utan called Katie or repair the shell of a giant galapagos tortoise? Read this as you might just as well be bitten by the volunteer bug.

The World Tourism Conference

Why you should read this? You should if you want your future generations to be able to enjoy some shade. It's about human kind surviving the environmental changes of the world and SUSTAINABILITY being the keyword and keyaction.

Burmese Days

Read my travel journal on Myanmar and get great ideas on where to shop, what not to eat and do, how much to pay and why you must visit this interesting country at least once in your lifetime.